Slamet and the story of 'barongan' performance

Slamet, a lecturer at the Indonesian Arts College Surakarta, never imagined the barongan performances he used to enjoy as a child would one day turn him into a barongan researcher and earn him a master's degree in 1998.

Both his thesis, written while studying the humanities at Gadjah Mada University, and his mini-thesis, from when he studied dance art at the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) Yogyakarta, were both about barongan, a traditional dance from Blora, Central Java.

"It was Prof. RM Soedarsono (the founder of the ISI and a senior figure in the traditional dance world of Yogyakarta) who pushed me to continue my research on barongan," said Slamet, who was born in Blora on May 27, 1967.

But Slamet says the greatest motivation to produce scientific research on this particular art form was his personal experience of owning a barongan mask, which he believes possesses magical powers.

"When I was in the fourth grade in elementary school, I secretly bought a barongan mask with my savings. It turned out to be a mask that had been used in a ruwatan (exorcism ritual) and it possessed extraordinary, magical powers," Slamet said.

He realized what he says are the mask's powers when a friend broke the mask into several pieces; to his surprise it came together again, leaving almost no trace of the break. He tried repeatedly to get rid of the mask but it always found its way back to his house.

"I was so afraid that I decided to keep it and I still have it," he said.

Moved by these experiences, he began to study everything he could about barongan. He visited libraries and interviewed senior figures from the barongan world who lived in Blora regency, especially in Kunduran subdistrict, which has long been known as the home of barongan pawang (mystics). Barongan is also thought to have originated in Kunduran.

He not only studied the ritual, but also the historical, anthropological, cultural and religious aspects of barongan, as well as the surrounding community.

"The emergence of barongan is closely related to the existence of mysticism for physical immunity purposes, which is evident among the rural community, including that of Blora," Slamet explained.

That, according Slamet, explains why a barongan pawang is usually also a guru mystic.

"They are treated as senior, respectable figures who have the right to call spirits to posses a barongan performer while at work," he said.

His research, he says, also reveals the practice of engaging in magical duels between barongan groups to test their magical immunity. Such practices, according to Slamet, were still evident in the 1960s.

"Two barongan groups had a duel that pitted them against each other face-to-face. The one whose mask cracked or broke was considered the loser."

A barongan mask considered to have the highest magical power in the region is the barongan Priya from Kunduran subdistrict, which was named after the creator of the mask. It was once the most wanted barongan for lamporan celebrations. Yet, due to its age, the mask is no longer fit for use in performances.

The greatest change in barongan, according to Slamet, occurred in 1964 when political parties used barongan a means of gathering large crowds of people together. As such, both the characters and the way the barongan was performed was changed to meet the needs of the parties.

As a result, when the country experienced political turmoil following a coup attempt in 1965, the existence of barongan as a performance art also faded away, only to reemerge later during the New Order regime.

The then ruling Golkar Party used it as a propaganda tool to promote the development programs of former president Soeharto. Again, the number of barongan groups rapidly increased until there were nearly 500, with almost 1,500 performers.

"At that particular time, they wore attractive masks and costumes, as many government officials provided financial assistance.

"However, most contained a lot of yellow (the color of Golkar Party)," Slamet said. -- Blontank Poer